Battle over N.C. transgender law intensifies as lawmakers reconvene

By Marti Maguire RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) – Thousands of people flocked to North Carolina’s capital on Monday to show both support and disdain for a law that has thrust the state into the international spotlight over its restrictions on transgender bathroom access and gay rights. North Carolina became the first U.S. state to require transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings and schools that match the sex on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity. “Our state is a state of crisis,” Chris Sgro, executive director of the Equality North Carolina advocacy group, said in Raleigh before activists delivered petitions to Republican Governor Pat McCrory’s office demanding the law’s repeal.